Obstacles to Grace
--Romans 5:12-21 (Verse 20, Primary Text)
I’ve been a runner since the summer of 1968 when I began the original Kenneth Cooper Aerobics program. In September of 1978 I was inspired by the late Jim Fixx, author of The Complete Book of Running with whom it was a joy to personally correspond, to follow in his footsteps and run the distance around the equator or a total of 24, 902 miles, a dream the Lord enabled me to achieve on Pearl Harbour Day, Saturday, 07 December 1996.
In school I was never know for my athletic prowess (“PROU’ IS”). Academics; music, band and chorus; and drama were my priorities and pursuits. In fact I was most clumsy and could be dubbed the original “class nerd.”
I don’t have a lot of confidence in psychological tests given by schools, business, and industries, for they so often provide us with an incomplete picture of a person and their capabilities for a particular career; they so often given an inaccurate profile and miss the target in analyzing a person. In the fall of 1970 I was ready to begin my seminary career, but despite good recommendations from friends and acquaintances and a fine academic record in college, obstacles appeared in my path that seemed to block my course.
The seminary questioned my psychological profile and fitness for ministry. As I had interviews with both the Dean and also the chairperson of the Department of Pastoral Care and Counseling, they both were concerned that I “did not look them in the eye” when speaking to them. They also wondered why my interests were music, drama, and academics, and rather than sports, automotive mechanics, and building trades. That led them to seriously question my effectiveness in relating to people as a pastor.
Originally I was admitted to seminary “on trial” and in the Master of Arts program rather than the Master of Divinity degree to which I had applied and which would lead me into the pastoral ministry. The Dean and the Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling furthermore recommended that I consider the ministry of music or Christian Education rather than the pastoral ministry.
That first year of seminary was a very difficult time, for I had to “prove myself” fit for the Calling I had clearly heard from God for the past eight years. As I recall these difficult days, I realize God was teaching me that “He never calls the powerful; He empowers those He calls.” Through the work and power of the Holy Spirit in those situations what I first had seen as obstacles were overcome by His grace. He enabled me to receive my Master of Divinity degree on schedule, and for thirty-two years He has continually reaffirmed His call on my life in pastoral ministry.
Obstacles to grace constantly attack us, but God’s grace is always sufficient for us and His strength is regularly made perfect in our weakness. Good afternoon, my name is David Reynolds, and the title of this talk is “Obstacles to Grace.”
Barb Woolridge has shared with us the message of God’s “Prevenient Grace,” the grace that comes before our moment of decision to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. We have seen that from the moment of our conception the Holy Spirit has been pursuing us to come into a personal relationship with God in and through Jesus Christ. Ken Dees then shared with us that “Justifying Grace” begins the moment we say “yes” to this relationship God offers us but that it embraces more one initial faith response. There are many moments in our lives when we are invited to say “yes” to God. As we continue to live the Christian life the Holy Spirit continues to invite us to accept all the “Means of Grace” God bestows upon us through Jesus Christ and His Church.
Obstacles to Grace are “barriers to a relationship with God; any part of life being presented as the whole.” In short, we can say obstacles to grace are what the Bible refers to as sin. We all have an idea what sin is. From early childhood most of us were taught that sin is “all the bad things we do.” Sin separates us from fellowship with God, and we are all born sinners. David, in confessing his dual sin of adultery and murder and seeking God’s forgiveness and restoration, admits in Psalm 51:5:
“Surely I was sinful at birth,
Sinful from the time my Mother
conceived me.”
Paul reminds us of this fact as well in Romans 3:23, when he declares,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If any doubt the truth that we are all sinners from birth, just stop to reflect: “No one every has to teach a child how to be bad, our parents struggled with us, as we do with our children and grandchildren, many pain staking hours in trying to teach us how to be good.”
The Bible clearly shows us that “Sin is pretending that we are the center of the universe.” You and I want to be “the master of our fate, and the captain of our soul” rather than allowing God His rightful place to be the rightful Lord of our lives. It has been said, “The problem with Sin is the ‘I’ in the middle of it. Perhaps two people that clearly show us this truth are Elsa Schraeder and Max Detweiler, two of the supporting cast in Roger’s and Hammerstein’s musical THE SOUND OF MUSIC. In the song “No Way to Stop It,” they boldly proclaim:
“And there’s no way to stop it,
No there’s no way to stop it
And I know though I cannot tell you why
That as long as I’m living,
Just as long as I’m living
There’ll be nothing else as wonderful as I!
I, I, I
Nothing else as wonderful as I.”
[--Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “No Way to Stop It,” THE SOUND OF MUSIC (New York: Williamson Music, Inc., 1959), vocal score, 147-9.
You and I both have been there and perhaps continue to battle that temptation even now.
Wanting to take God’s place at the center of the universe was the basic temptation of Satan that led our Fore parents Adam and Eve into sin in the beginning. Satan told Eve in Genesis 3:4, “For God know that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil,” and from that time on each of us has “wanted to be like God.” “Sin is pretending that we are the center of the universe.” Instead of being God-centered, we are self-centered.
Sin separates us from fellowship with God. The New Testament word for sin is an archery term that means “to miss the mark or target.” Sin is any obstacle that cause me to miss the target of God’s will for my life, anything that would separate me from loving God and my neighbor as commanded by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40, “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor ad yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’’
There are two primary types of obstacles to grace: those that hinder our relationship with God and those that hinder our relationships with other people. We were created to enjoy two primary relationships. The first one is a vertical relationship between each of us and God, our Creator. Sin, or Obstacles to Grace, that often block that relationship may include:
Idolatry, Blasphemy, Resisting God, Ignoring God, Disobedience, Unbelief, Ignorance, Pride, Unforgiveness.
The sins or Obstacles to Grace that may ruin our relationships with others might include: Murder, which is more than a physical act of violence., for we can murder others psychologically, emotionally, and even spiritually by our words and attitude; addiction and abuse; lying; gossip or slander; stealing; coveting, which is not being satisfied with what we have and which can include an unhealthy desire for position, power, property, or a relationship that others have; laziness, and dishonor.
Jesus Christ paid the price for both Obstacles to Grace. The cross of Christ offers the key to overcoming the obstacles to our relationship with God (vertical) and with our neighbor (horizontal). We must trust God in order to overcome the obstacles to Grace. The cross of Jesus provides our means of victory of all sin. John assures us of this truth so pointedly in I John 1:7-9, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another; and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Brenda and Ken Barker’s praise chorus “O the Blood of Jesus” is so reassuring:
“O the blood of Jesus,
O the blood of Jesus,
O the blood of Jesus,
It washes white as snow.
“O the cross of Jesus,
O the cross of Jesus,
O the cross of Jesus,
His death brings life to me.”
[--Brenda and Ken Barker, “O the Blood of Jesus,” THE CELEBRATION HYMNAL: SONGS AND HYMNS FOR WORSHIP (Nashville: Word, Inc., 1997), number 333.
There is power in the blood of Jesus for you and me to overcome all sin, all obstacles to grace.
We must trust God in order to overcome the Obstacles to Grace. He is the One Who provides us with victory over sin through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. He is the one who assures us IN I Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except that is common to everyone. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” God always provides a “way out” when we face any obstacle to grace if we fully rely on Him.
We can overcome sin by practicing the presence of God. Talk to Jesus in prayer each day. When the Holy Spirit points out sin in your live—towards God, towards your neighbor, or towards yourself, confess it, and claim His forgiveness. Spend time in God’s Word each day. Stand on Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” David certainly knew the power of God’s Word to overcome sin when he testified in Psalm 119:105:
“Your word is lamp to my feet
And a light for my path.”
Along with prayer and time in God’s Word, practice the presence of Jesus by practicing all the means of grace; including participating in a small group of Christian Brothers who will meet with you regularly to encourage you, support you, and hold you accountable as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
I was raised in a Christian home as an only child. My parents had lost their only other son at birth sixteen years and two days before I was born. I first became a Christian at age nine during our spring revival at Marion Aldersgate Methodist Church. I’ve never committed those “big sins: murder, theft, adultery; but my besetting sin has always been jealousy.
There came a time when God showed me that my sins, my obstacles to grace were not so much overt acts but rather “bad attitudes of the heart.” I was a selfish, self-centered, jealous, envious person. Good grades and awards in school were my main priorities; and as a musician, I wanted to do well in contests and always be first chair. If a friend received better grades than I did, got a more prestigious award, or higher marks in contest, I became “green with envy,” oftentimes venting my jealousy against that person by talking behind his back with harsh words of reprimand.
This even carried over into my ministry. If a friend or even just an acquaintance, received a better appointment that I did, I became livid. Envy and jealousy were destroying me spiritually, hindering my effectiveness in ministry, and most of all devastating my relationships with my family and with Jesus.
Then the Holy Spirit began to change my attitude. Pastors whose success I used to detest became dear brothers in Christ. God worked through the Emmaus Movement to bring about much of this change, for at least two of these pastors I had wrongfully envied I grew to love and appreciate as a result of having worked with them on Emmaus Teams. The Holy Spirit still continues to cleanse me of envy and jealousy. I am no longer obsessed by the success of others. I can be happy if Jesus wants me to succeed for Him or fail for Him. All I have to do is “follow Him” and keep my eyes fixed on Him and no one else.
My Mother had a favorite Bible verse that she often quoted in my presence. It is Romans 5:20b, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. . . “As the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was sufficient for Paul, so it is for you and me. By the power of the Holy Spirit in us we grow to be like Jesus and conquer obstacles to grace because “grace overcomes sin!” DE COLORES!
